Third Time Isn't The Charm
by The Alice Killer - Storm
Summary: Holding on when everything you've dreamed of is suddenly out of reach is hard


The clock struck midnight. A lone figure stood along a bridge. They gazed off into the waters below. This would be a normal scene if not for two things. It was midnight and this bridge was notorious for suicides. Those things brought alarm to another person who was taking a walk.

They knew who was standing there. They were one of their best friends. The figure suddenly leaned farther over the railing. Their friend immediately took action, fearing the worst was about to happen.

"What are you doing!?" They demanded as they hugged their friend tightly from behind.

"Chika...chan?" The figure spoke.

"What are you doing, Yō-chan?" Chika repeated as she tightened her grip.

Yō didn't respond. She felt tears falling down her face. She had been caught. Yō felt like a failure.

_"Couldn't even do this right, could ya?" _A voice in Yō's head mocked, _"What can you do right?"_

Chika kept a firm grip on Yō and slowly pulled her away from the edge. Yō let out a choked sob and fell to the ground. Chika knelt down beside her and pulled her into a hug. Yō hugged her back, grabbing her jacket into a tight grip.

"Shh..." Chika whispered, "It's okay. I'm here."

_"I don't want you to be here!"_ Yō wanted to scream, but she instead just cried harder.

The two of them stayed like that for a long time. It was almost one when they moved. Chika pulled Yō to her feet. Yō couldn't bring herself to look up at Chika. She felt like she shouldn't.

"I'm taking you to my house for the night." Chika stated as she started guiding Yō away from the bridge.

Yō wanted to fight back, but she knew it wouldn't do anything for her. She was stuck going with Chika for the night. Yō didn't want to be with her. She wanted to be alone.

The walk didn't take too long. Chika and Yō crept up to Chika's room. Yō sat on the bed. Chika sat beside her. Yō still wouldn't look up at Chika. She fiddled with her hands.

"Why don't we get some rest." Chika suggested.

"Okay..." Yō mumbled.

Chika pushed Yō onto the bed and then crawled in beside her. Yō turned her back to Chika. Chika didn't like that and forced Yō to turn around. Yō sighed. She wanted to be left alone. Having Chika with her was just a constant reminder of the fact she failed.

Chika pulled Yō closer to her. Yō let out a small sigh as she huddled closer. She knew there was nothing she could do, so she just went with it. Chika planted a kiss on Yō's forehead.

"I'm right here, Yō-chan. You don't need to do that." Chika said, "There's more to live for."

Yō didn't say anything in reply. She didn't feel that way. Her life was over. She had lost the ability to do everything she wanted to do. Her body was getting weaker every day. She couldn't keep up anymore.

Yō felt like she was just burdening everyone. She would never gain her strength back. She wasn't going to be able to be an idol any longer. She couldn't become a sailor like she wanted either. Even with surgery, she wouldn't recover enough for that.

It had been a week since the incident. Chika had tried to stick close to Yō. She didn't want to risk anything. Yō was hating Chika for it. She found herself snapping at her a lot. Chika didn't know what she could do. She just wanted to help Yō. Everyone was concerned for her.

Chika and Riko were the most worried. Chika had confided in Riko about what had occurred. Chika didn't tell anyone else, though. Chika and Riko didn't know what to do to help Yō. One night, they decided to go visit Yō. As they were walking to her house, they came to the very bridge Yō had tried to jump off of.

"Is there someone there?" Riko asked as she pointed to the bridge, "Who in their right mind is out this late at a bridge?"

Riko wasn't familiar with the name given to the bridge. She had no idea what that meant. Chika squinted her eyes to try and see who it was. Her heart stopped as she noticed the unmistakable ash hair of Yō.

Chika suddenly ran forward toward her without a word. Riko was still trying to see who it was. She watched Chika in confusion. Riko walked toward them. She had no idea what Chika was doing.

Chika hugged Yō from behind like before, "Stop!"

Yō fought back this time. She squirmed in Chika's grip and tried to get loose. She was elbowing Chika and causing bruises. Chika was doing her best to hold her in place. She was hoping Riko would come and assist her.

"Why? Why are you doing this?" Chika begged as she started crying.

"You know why. My life has no meaning anymore." Yō said.

She broke free from Chika's grip and jumped over the railing, plummeting into the river below. Chika let out a cry that was between a scream of panic and Yō's name. She ran down a small path that led to the river. Riko was following behind her. She had only just realized who it was.

Chika reached the bank and scanned the water. She saw Yō floating not too far from the bank. She dove into the water and started frantically swimming toward her. Chika grabbed Yō and pulled her so her head was above the water. She started to swim back to the bank. It was a bit of a struggle.

Riko was waiting at the bank for them. She had pulled out her phone and dialed for an ambulance. She was talking to them as Chika came back to the bank. She set Yō down on her back and listened for breathing.

She couldn't hear any breathing, so Chika started doing CPR. She had learned it from Yō, and now she was using it on her. It was a bitter realization.

It took only a few minutes for the ambulance to arrive. They took Yō to the hospital. Chika and Riko were allowed to come with. They were sitting in the waiting room. Chika was shaking as she kept getting flashes of the scene in her mind. Riko had pulled her onto her lap and was brushing her hair.

They waited for two hours before they got any word on how Yō was doing. They were told she would recover. She just needed some time to heal. Riko had lied on the phone and said Yō had fallen into the water instead of jumped. Their psychiatric hospital was notorious for being terrible, so she didn't want to risk Yō ending up there and getting worse instead of better.

Yō got out after two weeks. She was stuck on crutches. She had lost the ability to walk without help. That made her mental state even worse than before. Yō tried her best to look positive so no one got suspicious of her. She was waiting for the right time to try again.

Chika and Riko both started hanging out with her constantly. She was rarely ever alone. Yō was still bitter about it. Everyone had been told the lie of her falling into the river instead of jumping. Chika and Riko decided that they didn't want to worry the rest of Aqours.

A month had gone by without any problems. Chika and Riko thought Yō was getting better. She seemed like it. She became used to having crutches. Things seemed like they were looking up for her.

The bridge that Yō had used was condemned. The river had been drained due to issues. The bridge was starting to fall apart. Chika felt happy about that. She hoped that would make less people jump.

It was a late night again. Chika was heading over to Yō's house with Riko. There was a place to cross near the bridge. The town was still working to create a new path.

"Chika-chan..." Riko froze in place.

Chika looked at where Riko was looking. It was undeniable who was standing at the condemned bridge again. The crutches gave it away. Chika and Riko both broke into a run. Their footsteps echoed off the ground. Yō heard them and turned to look.

Her eyes widened when she saw who they were. Yō quickly made her mind up on what she was going to do. She used her arms to get her legs over the rail. She looked back at Chika and Riko. Yō smiled as she fell backwards off the bridge.

This time, her body connected with ground instead of water. Her neck snapped at the force.

Chika and Riko rushed down to the riverbed. They ran over to where Yō was lying. She was dead by the time they got there. Chika and Riko both broke down into tears. They had failed.

A week had passed since that day. Chika got a letter in the mail from Yō's parents. She opened it to find a note Yō had left for her. Chika read it. As she did, tears started falling down her face. She called Riko over stating it was urgent. Riko rushed over.

Chika handed her the note. Riko read it and had the same reaction. They hugged each other as they cried. Yō had written something to try and make them feel better about her death. She had thanked them for what they had done for her. Chika and Riko knew there was nothing they could do. They had to live in this new world. This world without Yō.

They didn't want to. They wanted Yō back. But, they knew it was impossible. So, they instead decided to keep going. To keep moving forward. To keep being who they wanted to be. They knew Yō would be watching over them and waiting for the day when they would be able to see each other again.

_Dear Chika and Riko,__I'm sorry. I know that this is going to hurt you guys a lot. I'm not someone who believes that no one would care. I know that you guys would or I guess it's do now. I'm sorry that it came to this. I know you guys tried to help me. I'm really happy that I have friends that would. I'm sorry I got nasty with you. I don't know what I was thinking. I ruined our relationship. You can't say you didn't feel forced to be with me. I felt that way too.__I guess you probably just want to know why I killed myself. No. You guys wouldn't. I know you want me to give you some closure. Why else would I write that first part? But, anyway.__I couldn't do it. I couldn't figure out what to do with my life after I was told the news. Everything I wanted to be or do (even my backup plans) suddenly were locked away. I don't want to be a burden. It doesn't feel right to have to force people to cater to me. But, eventually that would've been my reality.__When I learned you guys were dropping out of Love Live because I couldn't do it hurt. I felt terrible. I made you guys lose the chance to do something we had all been dreaming of. I later realized that it wasn't my fault. You guys had to decide that together. You all chose that. It wasn't forced upon you.__I hope you guys will continue with being school idols. Even if you don't do Love Live. Do it for me. I promise I wouldn't want it any other way. Don't stop anything because you think it's wrong to do without me. It's not. I want you guys to be happy and do whatever it takes to achieve that.__Love, Yō_


End file.
